


take my hand (i won't let go)

by tempolarriefics



Category: Larry Stylinson - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: First Meetings, Halloween, Haunted Houses, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 14:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21210308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tempolarriefics/pseuds/tempolarriefics
Summary: in which zayn and liam are in love, niall doesn't want to third wheel, louis hates scary things, and harry works in a haunted house.aka the ficlet haunted house meet-cute that you never knew you needed.





	take my hand (i won't let go)

Out of all places on the night before Halloween, the infamous haunted house on the hill was the last place Louis expected, or wanted, to be.

“Can you imagine third-wheeling at a haunted house?” Niall had pleaded. “Whenever something happens, Zayn and Liam will be holding each other protectively and where will I be? Standing there alone, scared shitless.”

So Louis had agreed, even though he hates horror.

As they present their tickets, Louis gulps.

“Enjoy!” A worker says, ushering them into pitch darkness.

“Shit,” Louis whispers, reaching for Niall’s arm immediately, “I’m scared already.”

Soft, eerie music filters through the air and a flickering light in the distance indicates the path through the house.

“You two go first,” Liam says cheerfully, as if he is doing them a kindness rather than offering them on a silver platter to the monsters ahead.

But Niall eagerly agrees, tugging Louis along.

A crack sounds through the air, accompanied by a flash of white as if lightning has just struck. A long, cackling laugh follows.

“Jesus,” Louis whispers, the hair on his neck already sticking straight up.

A ghost wavers to their right, making spooky noises, and while Louis’ attention is on it, a vampire with blood dripping from his mouth jumps out from the left. Louis yelps, stumbling backwards, and then something wraps around his ankle as if to pull him under.

It’s a horrifying feeling, and the final straw for Louis. He grabs blindly for Niall and takes off running, determined to get out.

He passes creepy room set-ups – one full of dolls with eyes that follow your every move, another that’s an abandoned cellar, and another a cemetery – but Louis rushes past them all with a death-grip on Niall’s hand. All too often, a monster jumps out, causing Louis to scream and cling to Niall - once even using him as a shield, his own eyes squeezed shut.

Just before the exit, a gruesome zombie appears, roaring menacingly and snarling about brains. Caught off guard, Louis shrieks and jumps into Niall’s arms.

He falls short – partly because he is terrified and partly because Niall seems taller – and Niall fumbles to catch him. Although, as Louis thinks about it, Niall seems not only taller, but also broader and stronger.

He looks at Niall’s face, and screams again.

Staring back at him is not Niall, but a vampire, his face painted a ghastly white and a distinct line of red trailing out from the corner of his mouth.

Louis flails around desperately to escape, but the vampire tightens his grip and steps through the exit with Louis in his arms.

“Oops,” he says, setting Louis down and shrugging bashfully.

Outside the haunted house, the vampire looks less intimidating. Louis focuses on his green eyes to remind himself that this is another person, not a monster out for his blood. In doing so, he realizes that underneath the costume is an incredibly attractive man. He has a charming smile, his brown hair is slicked back, and the fit of his suit shows off his body – that is, if Louis ignores the cape.

“Hi,” Louis says breathlessly. “Was it you the entire time?”

The man laughs, his fake razor-sharp canines glinting in the moonlight. “From the start. You grabbed me instead of your friend, and you were so scared that I couldn’t abandon you. I’m Harry, by the way.”

“I’m Louis,” Louis says, “and thank you for saving me.”

Harry smiles softly, and suddenly, Louis knows what he has to do.

“Do you want to get dinner after this?”

“Like, on a date?”

Louis nods, feeling his cheeks redden.

“Even though I’m a scary vampire?”

Louis chuckles, nodding again.

“I’d love to.”

When the rest of his friends emerge, they are proud of Louis for making it through on his own and welcome Harry into the group easily.

Harry reaches for Louis’ hand, squeezes, and they smile shyly at each other.

“I can’t believe I’m _still_ a third wheel,” Niall says.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading, and happy halloween! here is the [fic post](https://tempolarriefix.tumblr.com/post/188732680455) if you'd like to show your support. xx


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